APEA FNP Cardio Practice Exam Questions with 100% Correct Answers | Latest 2025/2026 Update | Verified & A+ Rated

The APEA FNP Cardio Practice Exam Questions with 100% Correct Answers – Latest 2025/2026 Update is a focused and reliable study resource for nurse practitioner students specializing in cardiovascular care. This verified test bank provides exam-style questions with accurate answers, designed to mirror the rigor of the APEA FNP exams. Covering essential topics such as cardiac assessment, arrhythmias, hypertension, heart failure, pharmacology, and evidence-based management, it strengthens clinical reasoning and exam confidence. Rated A+ for accuracy and quality, this practice exam is ideal for FNP students preparing for predictor or certification exams in 2025 and 2026. A common lab findings with ACE Inhibitors -------- Correct Answer Increase K+ ACE inhibitor = retention of potassium. Measure potassium one month after starting and one month after changing a dose What should you do? Pt on Monopril and HCTZ for hypertension. His blood pressure is 160-170/92-98 on several blood pressure checks ? Would you add an ARB? -------- Correct Answer If these are at maximum doses, consideration should be given to adding a medication from a different class. CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKER NOT ARB - Adding an ARB may result in a precipitous decrease in his blood pressure because he takes an ACE inhibitor and both of these medications work in the renin- angiotensin-aldosterone system. Significance of sildenafil and any blood pressure meds -------- Correct Answer Any antihypertensive medication could have an additive effect with sildenafil (or another medication in this A specific drug-drug interaction to be aware of is the one that can occur with sildenafil and alpha blockers like tamsulosin, alfuzosin, prazosin, doxazosin, or terazosin. This combination of medications may increase the risk of symptomatic hypotension because the effect of these two drugs is additive -------- Correct Answer Consider two meds low dose HCTZ and ARB or ace This patient's blood pressure goal is < 140/90 according to JNC VIII. Since he is more than 20 points above systolic goal (or greater than 10 points above diastolic goal) it is reasonable to consider two medications Risk assessment for dyslipidemia- what age to start assessment Correct Answer - Start at age 2 Dyslipidemia assessment does not necessarily mean a Dyslipidemia assessment refers to assessing family history of dyslipidemia, premature cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, body mass index > 85% for age and sex, or history of other systemic diseases like Kawasaki Disease or treatment, or renal disease. When to start lipid profiles -------- Correct Answer recommended between 18 and 21 years of age. A patient taking an ACE inhibitor should avoid: -------- Correct Answer No K ACE inhibitor potentially can produce hyperkalemia because its mechanism of action is in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system where potassium is spared. If potassium is taken in the form of potassium supplements, the effect will be additive and the risk of hyperkalemia can be great. An 80 year-old female who is otherwise well, has a blood pressure of 176/80. How should she be managed pharmacologically? -------- Correct Answer CCB This patient has isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). This is common in older adults and is associated with tragic cardiac and cerebrovascular events. The drug class of choice to treat these patients is a long-acting calcium channel blocker. The class of calcium channel blockers recommended for ISH has the suffix "pine" (amlodipine, felodipine, etc). Remember ISH = PINE ACE inhibitor is specifically indicated in patients who have .. Correct Answer - hypertension, diabetes with proteinuria, heart failure. 77 year-old patient has had an increase in blood pressure since the last exam. The blood pressure has risen to 168/88 with 2 readings. The last exam's reading was 144/90. If medication is to be started on this patient, what would be a good first choice? -------- Correct Answer CCB This patient is 77 years old and should have a goal blood pressure of < 150/90. A thiazide diuretic is not a good first choice in this patient because it will not be potent enough to decrease blood pressure by 25 points to get him to goal. A long acting calcium channel blocker is appropriate for patients with isolated systolic hypertension and will be more likely to get this patient to goal pressure than HCTZ. Beta-blockers are no longer recommended first line for uncomplicated hypertension. ACE inhibitors are very effective in patients who are high renin producers. Elderly patients tend to produce lower amounts of renin. A 63 year-old male has been your patient for several years. He is a former smoker who takes simvastatin, ramipril, and an aspirin daily. His blood pressure and lipids are well controlled. He presents to your clinic with complaints of fatigue and "just not feeling well" for the last few days. His vital signs and exam are normal. What should be done next? Order a CBC and consider waiting a few days if normal. Inquire about feelings of depression and hopelessness. Order a CBC, metabolic panel, TSH, and urine analysis. Order a B12 level, TSH, CBC, and chest x-ray -------- Correct Answer Order CBC, BMP, TSH, u/a Fatigue is a difficult complaint to assess and diagnose. This patient's exam and vital signs are normal. There is no reason to think that he is infected or is bleeding, so a lone CBC, offers little diagnostic help. However, in addition to a CBC, adding a metabolic panel, TSH, and urine (to screen for blood in this former smoker) is a more thorough laboratory assessment of his fatigue. A patient with shortness of breath has suspected heart failure. What diagnostic test would best help determine this? Echocardiogram B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) EKG Chest x-ray -------- Correct Answer ------- BNP is a hormone involved in regulation of blood pressure and fluid volume. When the BNP level is 80 pg/mL or greater, the sensitivity and specificity is 98% and 92%, favoring a diagnosis of heart failure. Alternatively, BNP levels less than 80 pg/mL strongly suggest that heart failure is not present (Some US institutions use 100 pg/mL). Other conditions may cause elevated BNP levels: thoracic and abdominal surgery, renal failure, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Consequently, careful assessment of the patient is prudent. Echocardiograms mechanically evaluate the heart and establish an ejection fraction. If <35-40%, then HF can usually be diagnosed. Ejection fractions do not always correlate with patient symptoms. EKG evaluates the electrical activity of the heart. Chest x-ray can indicate heart failure but a BNP is a more sensitive measure. An 80 year-old patient with long standing hypertension takes Monopril and HCTZ for hypertension. His blood pressure is 160-170/92-98 on several blood pressure checks. What should be done about his blood pressure? Add an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) Add another diuretic Add a calcium channel blocker Stop the HCTZ and add a beta blocker -------- Correct Answer add CCB This patient takes medications from 2 different classes of antihypertensives. If these are at maximum doses, consideration should be given to adding a medication from a different class. Adding an ARB may result in a precipitous decrease in his blood pressure because he takes an ACE inhibitor and both of these medications work in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Adding another diuretic will likely produce hypokalemia with a small decrease in blood pressure. The calcium channel blocker is a good choice because it will have an additive effect with the other medications he is taking. A beta blocker will slow the heart rate, not a preferred outcome in an elderly patient unless he has underlying angina or a heart rate problem. A 55 year-old male is obese, does not exercise, and has hyperlipidemia. His average blood pressure is 150/90. How should he be managed? He should be given low dose thiazide diuretic. An ACE inhibitor is appropriate. Lifestyle modifications are appropriate. He should receive an ACE inhibitor and thiazide diuretic. -------- Correct Answer ------- LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS According to JNC VIII, a patient who is diagnosed with hypertension should have lifestyle modifications initiated today. He has several modifiable risk factors. Management of these can be expected to decrease blood pressure. If his blood pressure is not within normal range (< 140/90) after 3 months, it is reasonable to consider a medication like an ACE, ARB, thiazide diuretic, or calcium channel blocker. A patient who has diabetes presents with pain in his lower legs when he walks and pain resolution with rest. When specifically asked about the pain in his lower leg, he likely will report pain: in and around the ankle joint. in the calf muscle. radiating down his leg from the thigh. pain in his lower leg which waxes and wanes. -------- Correct Answer in the calf muscle This patient's symptoms are typical of arteriosclerosis. The term for this symptom is intermittent claudication. When there is compromised arterial blood flow in the lower legs, a common complaint is reproducible pain in a specific group of muscles. The pain occurs because there is an incongruence between blood supply and demand. This produces pain that causes a patient to stop exercising in order to obtain relief of pain. A patient with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) reports chest pain and frequent arrhythmias. In the absence of other underlying cardiac anomalies, the drug of choice to treat her symptoms is a(n):